Thứ Tư, 21 tháng 9, 2011

Facebook Credits enter Asia, but what about Zynga Game Cards?

Now, it will be even easier for folks in southern Asia to waste money on buy virtual items in their favorite Facebook games. Facebook Credits, the platform's dominant currency, will enter several Asian markets through MOL, Asia's Internet services payment provider with over 600,000 locations.

The strategic partnership allows Asian Facebook gamers to purchase Facebook Credits online through MOLPoints, or what becomes of users' money when purchased, through a new MOLPoints application on Facebook. "MOL is committed to ensure that our consumers are able to acquire virtual currency for their digital lifestyle with safety and ease and we believe that this strong partnership with Facebook will continue MOL's momentum to provide highly effective monetization solutions for the social web." said MOL CEO Ganesh Kumar Bangah in a statement.

MOL says that it puts no surcharges on its MOLPoint transactions, which are conducted over a secure payment gateway. That's all well and good, but didn't Zynga just enter the same territory a few months back with the exact same company? Indeed, so what could this mean for the company's Game Cards? Judging from the wording in MOL's release (and the step-by-step guide on its website), this service will be online only.

This means that Zynga Game Cards would still be the go-to option for low-income families in Asia that can only buy in-game content with cash. Regardless, the news speaks volumes to the fact that Facebook gaming is huge in more places than just the U.S., Europe and Japan. And the social gaming scene can only grow from here.

Do you think southern Asia could become a power player in the social games world? And who do you think will gain dominance in the region: Zynga, DeNA, Gree ... or someone else? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.